The Uzbek-born violinist, Tigran Shiganyan (Russian: Тигран Шиганян), was born into a family of musicians. His mother is the world-renowned composer, Dilaram Saidaminova, of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from the former Soviet Union. In 1982, he entered the Uspensky Music School for Gifted Children (Class of 1993), and later entered the Tashkent State Conservatoire, where he earned his “Red Diploma”, Bachelor of Music., his Master of Music (1998), and his Doctor of Music (D.M.A.) (2002). He also graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with an Artist Diploma (2001), and an Master of Music degree (2003). In 2009 he received his Doctorate from the College of Music at Michigan State University in East Lansing, thus making him the first Uzbek musician to earn a doctorate in musical performance from an American institution. His teachers in Uzbekistan was Nataliy Pagarelova, Natan Mendelssohn, Vladimir Ioudenitch and Bakhrom Kurbanov. In the USA he studied with with concertmaster, Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestras, Charles Stegeman, principal violist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Randolph Kelly, the concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Emanuel Borok, and world-renowned violinist, Dmitri Berlinsky. He has also participated in master classes given by Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer (Emerson String Quartet), Jeffrey Turner (Principal Bass the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), Ida Kavafian (Opus One String Quartet), Ruggero Allifranchini (Nobilis Piano Trio, Associate Concertmaster of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra), Sidney Harth, Elmar Oliveira and Pinkas Zukerman.

Tigran Shiganyan has been recipient of many awards including a grant from the G. Soros Foundation (Uzbekistan-U.S.A), he won a full scholarship from Duquesne University’s School of Music (Pittsburgh, U.S.A.) and Michigan State University’s College of Music, the Johnson Coleman Memorial and Catherine Herrick Cobb Scholarship. He recognized by the United States Achievement Academy's All-American Scholar, and Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges, as an outstanding student. He has won awards in numerous national and international competitions, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Concerto Competition, the Michigan State University Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, the William C. Byrd Young International Artists Competition (Flint, Michigan), the Tashkent State Conservatoire Concerto Competition (Uzbekistan), the Five Towns Music Art Foundation Competition (New York), the International Competition, “Palma D’Oro” (Finali-Liguria, Italy), and the International Violin Competition (Almaty, Kazakhstan). He was also honored in the All-U.S.S.R. Orchestras Competition (Novosibirsk, Russia) in his capacity as Concertmaster of the Uspensky School Chamber Orchestra.

Tigran Shiganyan has been invited to perform at such prestigious festivals as the International Festival of Contemporary Music, Moscow Autumn in Russia, the International Festival of Contemporary Music, Ilkhom-XX in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Hot Summer Night Music Festival in Columbia, Missouri, the Summit Music Festival in New York, and the Utah Festival Opera in the USA. His performance schedule has additionally taken him to the Pennsylvania Music Educators’ Association Conference, in Hershey, and the 30th Annual Western Pennsylvania Symposium on World Literatures, in Pittsburgh.

Tigran Shiganyan has given many solo and chamber recitals, and appeared as a soloist and conductor with the Uzbekistan National Symphony Orchestra, the Tashkent Opera Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan State University Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Missouri Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared as soloist with the chamber orchestras, The Soloists of Uzbekistan, The Academy of Soloists, the Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble, and the International Soloists Chamber Orchestra. These appearances occasioned collaborations with the internationally known conductors Kirk Trevor, Vladimir Neimer, David Stock, Bakhqtja Musakhodjaeva, Ildar Azimov, Dmitri Berlinsky, and Sidney Harth.

Tigran Shiganyan has performed professionally with the Pittsburgh Opera Theater, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra (since 2004), and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (since 2006). He also performed on New York Broadway productions and DreamWorks Theatricals companies such as South Pacific, West Side Story, Porgy and Bess and Shrek the musical, as well an silver anniversary of Mannheim Steamroller and Johnny Mathis shows. His first solo CD of Alfred Schnittke’s violin music was released on Blue Griffin Recording label in 2011.

Tigran Shiganyan serves on the faculty of the Flint Institute of Music in Flint, Michigan since 2007. He currenly lives in East Lansing, Michigan.